2023 Asian cup Round of 16, Saudi Arabia vs Korea

The two teams contending for the Asian Cup championship clashed in the Round of 16.

 

Saudi Arabia, who comfortably secured the top spot in Group F,

and South Korea, who advanced to the knockout stage as the second-placed team in Group E after a series of ups and downs, faced off in the Round of 16.

 

When I saw the lineup, the most surprising thing was South Korea's formation.

 

In my opinion, nobody could have imagined it.

 

It's astounding that the South Korean national team presented a 3-back formation,

something we rarely saw even during Coach Bento's tenure, let alone under Coach Klinsmann.

 

Saudi Arabia typically utilized a 3-back formation, but it was truly astonishing that South Korea, especially in a crucial Round of 16 match where defeat meant elimination, opted for a formation that hadn't been attempted before.

 

It seems that there wasn't any deep or profound meaning behind it, but rather a simple attempt to maintain defensive stability.

The reason became evident from the first half.
Although it was referred to as a 3-back formation, in reality, it operated more like a 5-back system throughout the first half.

With wing-backs Seol Young-woo and Kim Tae-hwan practically playing as full-backs,

well below the halfway line alongside the three central defenders, they formed a solid defensive barrier.

It seemed the purpose was to thoroughly block Saudi attackers, 

who are known for their speed and individual skills.

Another reason was evident in the positioning of the three center-backs.

Kim Young-kwon, positioned on the left, is the only left-footed player among the three,

which may have influenced his placement.
Following him, Kim Min-jae occupied the central position, with Jung Seung-hyun on the right.

Kim Min-jae positioned himself slightly lower than both Kim Young-kwon and Jung Seung-hyun,

indicating his role was more about covering a wide defensive area rather than aggressively supporting the attack.

While Kim Min-jae is versatile, in this game, the focus seemed to be on utilizing his defensive abilities.
If they had intended to utilize his attacking prowess, they might have placed him as the right center-back or deployed him further forward in a manner resembling a defensive midfielder.

 

The first half proved frustrating for both sides.

Saudi Arabia struggled to break through South Korea's 5-back formation,

while South Korea, in setting up this defensive structure, found it challenging to mount effective attacks.

Personally, what particularly frustrated me was why they opted for a 5-back formation in the first place.

While I understand the desire to strengthen the defense, in my opinion, bolstering the defense should have involved adding an extra midfielder rather than simply adding another defender.
This issue became apparent in all three group stage matches.

South Korea conceded a significant number of goals in the group stage, largely due to the wide gap in the midfield.

Facing South Korea, who typically take a proactive approach in controlling the game, 

opposing teams focused on pressuring and counter-attacking.

However, executing this pressure and counterattack was too easy.
With only two midfielders in the center, they couldn't cover the expansive area effectively.

 

The same problem persisted when South Korea attacked.
With only two players in the center, there was no one to move the ball forward effectively from the defensive zone.

As a result, they frequently resorted to playing the ball to the flanks, and whenever they tried to receive the ball centrally, they faced immediate pressure, resulting in turnovers or sideways and backward passes.

That's what made this game frustrating.

 

Firstly, the defensive aspect seems to have been addressed.

Even if the ball is lost in midfield, having more players behind makes it easier to defend.

However, the issue lies in the lack of offensive transition.

Looking at the midfield in the diagram, South Korea seems to be too congested, which can be frustrating.

Furthermore, when needing to attack, having too many players deep in the defensive line results in wasted manpower.

If they had added a defensive midfielder instead of another defender, both offensive and defensive phases could have been improved.

Throughout the first half, there was a continuous sense of frustration and regret about missed opportunities for improvement.

 

Just as the second half began, a disaster struck.
In truth, it was more of an accident, or to put it simply, a stroke of luck.

Saudi Arabia's ace player, Al-dawsari, attempted to trap a pass from the back, but it slipped perfectly between the defenders, turning into an unexpected through ball.
It seemed like a trapping error, but regardless, what happened happened.

Radif, who received this incredible through ball, seized the opportunity and created a goal.

It happened just one minute after he was substituted at the beginning of the second half.

 

Despite the stroke of luck, it was a moment where the 5-back formation,

meticulously prepared by Klinsmann, faltered.

However, the bigger issue arose thereafter.

Once they conceded the opening goal, the 5-back tactic became ineffective.
They couldn't afford to solely defend anymore, and as mentioned earlier, 

maintaining the 5-back formation hindered their offensive capabilities.

Yet, Klinsmann didn't make tactical adjustments for quite some time.

It wasn't until after the 65th minute, when he substituted Jung Seung-hyun for Cho Gyu-seong,

reverting to the previous 4-4-2 formation.

It's puzzling why he wasted around 20 minutes without making changes, but nonetheless, the change was somewhat relieving.

Another unexpected turn was Saudi Arabia's decision to sit deep starting from around the 70th minute.
It's common to drop back when leading to preserve the advantage, but they did it surprisingly early.
This tactic is typically employed when there's about 10 minutes left in the match.

The reason being, even with a solid defensive setup aiming to crowd the box and block shots, 

leaving more time for the opponent to attack could introduce various uncertainties.

 

And ultimately, a miracle happened.

From our perspective, it was nothing short of miraculous.

In the 90+9th minute, just before the game was about to end completely,

Cho Gyu-seong scored a crucial equalizing goal.
If it had been just one minute later, the game would have ended, 

and South Korea would have been eliminated from the Round of 16 in the Asian Cup.

Thankfully, Cho Gyu-seong managed to score a goal that washed away all the criticism he had faced until then.

The game went into extra time, and the dynamics were similar to the second half.
Saudi Arabia remained deeply entrenched in defense, while Korea continued to press forward.
However, this time, nothing significant happened.

Despite relentlessly attacking for 30 minutes, 

they were all thwarted by the miraculous saves of Saudi Arabia's final defender, goalkeeper Al-Kassar.

He blocked our attackers' shots as if he were possessed, denying them time and again.

 

The outcome was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout.

And we had our shining light.

Cho Hyun-woo showed why he is considered a star, why he defeated Germany,

and why he won the K League and the AFC Champions League as a goalkeeper.
Not once, but twice, he saved penalties during the shootout.
Meanwhile, every South Korean player successfully converted their penalties, 

securing South Korea's spot in the quarterfinals.

Admittedly, this game didn't showcase the most satisfying performance, 

and there were few tactical details to appreciate.

However, in a tournament where results matter most, let's just be glad for the victory.